In recent years, wind turbines have increased in popularity as a means of electrical power generation. Wind turbines offer the advantages of relatively inexpensively generating power from a renewable energy source as well as having a low impact on the surrounding environment.
Replacing malfunctioning or failed components in wind turbines can present significant expense to the turbine operator, especially in the case of large or heavy components disposed in the nacelle of the turbine. Such components can include, for example, intercooler gearing motors, cooling fans of the wind turbine, rotor bearings of the generator, intercooler, and so forth. In certain cases, such as, for example, fatal rotor failure, the entire generator may need to be replaced, as the work required to replace the failed components cannot be performed with the generator disposed within the nacelle.
Typically, a generator for a wind turbine can weigh approximately 5-7 metric tons, with the intercooler accounting for about 700 kilograms of the total weight, and the rotor and stator assembly accounting for the remainder. In part due to the considerable weight of the components, known methods of generator replacement typically involve removing the roof of the nacelle and utilizing an external heavy-duty crane to lift the generator and intercooler out of the nacelle, transferring the components to to the ground below, utilizing the crane to lift replacement components into the nacelle, and replacing the roof of the nacelle. However, the cost to replace wind turbine utilizing an external crane can typically amount to as much as seven times the cost of the generator itself, in the case of land-based wind turbines. For offshore wind turbines, the cost of the replacement operation can be even higher.
Accordingly, a method, system and apparatus for replacing wind turbine components without the use of an external crane is desired.